Languid Language Learning

[Elenia]

No I am pretty sure that my bad german would top yours.

Your bad German is called English. I can do that one.

[Elenia]

I have so much homework that it's hard to get any actual studying done.

I'm only being a little facetious here.

[Systematiker]

A much belated congratulations to y’all

(Yes I might have caught up on your log first, shhhh)

[Elenia]

A much belated congratulations to y’all

(Yes I might have caught up on your log first, shhhh)

Thank you! It was a lovely day the ceremony was in Swedish, but no one complained because it also took less than two minutes

(Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!

ETA:You are much faster at catching up than I am! I think I've only just managed it!)

Second Edit to add an actual update!

The course (naturally) continues. We have group work twice a week every week. I am in a group with two Germans and a French girl, but we're all very good and stick to Swedish all the time. I think one of the people in my group is also the best at Swedish in the course (certainly from what I've heard), so that is nice. It's good to have a mix.

Today, I went to listen to my husband defend his Master's thesis. One other girl was defending her thesis, and the whole thing took about two hours. I understood everything, apart from maybe four of the specialised terms they were using. It was a very interesting exercise. I've never witnessed a thesis defence before, nor have I been exposed to oral academic language in Swedish- or, at the very least, I haven't been exposed to much of it. I only managed to read a few pages of my husband's thesis before the fact, but shall read it all at some point. Academic speech and writing is a big chunk of the course, so it will be advantageous from that perspective. Also it is apparently a very well written and interesting piece in and of itself. Well done, husband. Congratulations!

[Elenia]

I have been pleasantly surprised to learn that few people on the course realise that I am English (including the other Brit). Obviously no one is going around thinking I'm a native Swede, but it's nice that I'm hard to place. One of the girls in my group says she is always surprised when she hears me speak English as she expects me to have a non-native accent. I almost never speak English in class, although others do during the breaks, but we walk to the station together and she has heard me on the phone a couple of times.

[DaveAgain]

I have been pleasantly surprised to learn that few people on the course realise that I am English (including the other Brit). Obviously no one is going around thinking I'm a native Swede, but it's nice that I'm hard to place. One of the girls in my group says she is always surprised when she hears me speak English as she expects me to have a non-native accent. I almost never speak English in class, although others do during the breaks, but we walk to the station together and she has heard me on the phone a couple of times.

I was watching an episode of "The Viking Dead" the other day. They were talking to various people connected to the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark. Towards the end of the programme they had a scene with a number of people crewing a replica viking longship. One of the ladies on that boat spoke english in a way that threw me.

Everyone spoke good english (it was an edited TV show after all) but this particular lady did not have an accent I recognized as native, British, North American, Australian etc, but something about the way she spoke made me feel she was a native speaker. I don't know if its the rhythm, stress or whatever but there is something other than accent.

[Elenia]

@Dave - I can't access the channel and was feeling too lazy to sign up last night. I would like to hear that person, though. She could be a native speaker or a very good near-native speaker. If I recall correctly, I couldn't tell my husband wasn't native, although I couldn't place his accent. There is also the fact that I have difficulty remembering that some accents are usually non-native.

[Elenia]

I spent a good portion of time while back in the UK this weekend looking for one of my Swedish books that I really felt I could get my teeth into. I couldn't find it anywhere and was very perplexed... until I got home and saw it sitting innocently on one of my 'Currently Reading' shelves that hasn't been touched pretty much since we put the books on it.

Oops!

[Izabela]

I spent a good portion of time while back in the UK this weekend looking for one of my Swedish books that I really felt I could get my teeth into. I couldn't find it anywhere and was very perplexed... until I got home and saw it sitting innocently on one of my 'Currently Reading' shelves that hasn't been touched pretty much since we put the books on it.

Oops!

How do you know they way I seem to so often live my life!

I love the title of your log. It seems matching some to the title of mine. Just take it all slow and easy.

[Elenia]

How do you know they way I seem to so often live my life!

I love the title of your log. It seems matching some to the title of mine. Just take it all slow and easy.

I try, and try, and fail to be different!

And yes, I thought the same thing when I saw the title of your log! (Which I have been reading, in case you were wondering ) Slow and steady wins the race*, after all!

*Of course, this is just what I say to sound good. Really, I'm mostly lazy